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It is a story about a girl, about love, universe, magic and power. For the last several months, the book has been sitting on our book shelf unnoticed and despite my longtime desire to read it, the mood hasn't struck me. It's just as well, reading it now was probably the best time ever because it broke my heart into pieces.

In the beginning, I cannot help feeling like it's something I've read before (cue The Witch of Portobello) but as Brida's story unfolded it ventured into just the right amount of magic realism, weaving the spiritual aspects of mind to the mundane things we do everyday (go to work, study at school, have a date, enjoy a cup of coffee).

The book is mostly subtle in its transition, a bit contained and more reflective, and that is its appeal; not repelling doubtful readers at once and at the same time curbing those magic/witch enthusiasts. Just as how a Teacher relays the traditional lessons to Brida, so is the book, that the power and force manifests in between spaces, in between things, between the visible and the invisible.

What I loved the most on this book? The story of the man on the church steps and the path we sometimes must choose after we find our soul mate. For that path would ask more from us and it could leave us in utter doom or be utterly free. In a way, the book resonated to me more than I expected and that heart-diving surprise was a key to the book's endearment. The appreciation may be much magnified when one has walked on their shoes for at least a hundred miles. But I am only glad that in the end, it left me, like the Magus, feeling utterly free.

Book Summary:
This is the story of Brida, a young Irish girl, and her quest for knowledge. She has long been interested in various aspects of magic but is searching for something more. Her search leads her to people of greate wisdom, who begin to teach Brida about the spiritual world. She meets a wise man who dwells in a forest, who teaches her about overcoming her fears and trusting in the goodness of the world; and a woman who teaches her how to dance to the music of the world, and how to pray to the moon. As Brida seeks her destiny, she struggles to find a balance between her relationships and her desire to become a witch.

Book Title: Brida
Author: Paulo Coelho
Genre: Philosophy, Magic, Romance
Published: 2008 Hardcover
Publisher: Harper
Rating: ♨♨♨♨♨  (5 cups - It is quite a short read but shows us a lot more leaving us with an ample of mixed emotions and portrays to us in an excruciating way another meaning of love).